Systems Design Perspective of Healthcare Provision in Humanitarian Aid

Abstract

This study focuses on the role of Systems Design in addressing the challenges of healthcare provision by international emergency relief organizations in developing countries. More specifically the challenges related to the safety and performance of medical equipment that is transferred in the aftermath of a humanitarian crisis. The aim of this paper is to describe the transfer of medical equipment and its associated challenges from a systems perspective and to reflect on the value of Systems Design as an approach to humanitarian innovation, addressing the identified systemic challenges. The concepts of Human Factors and Ergonomics, and Product-Service Systems will be presented as valuable contributions to support designers in handling a larger degree of complexity throughout the design process and to support them to make informed choices regarding this particular context.

Availability, procurement, training, usage, maintenance and complications of electrosurgical units and laparoscopic equipment in 12 African countries

“…Reuse of consumables in various LMIC settings has been reported previously, and this practice was confirmed in the present study. Most maintenance records reported repairs on ESU accessories, with parts being soldered back together to enable reuse for as long as possible.…”

A Context-Specific Design of an Electrosurgical Unit and Monopolar Handheld to Enhance Global Access to Surgical Care: A Design Approach Based on Contextual Factors

“…As reported before [1,13,26], we also identified the reuse of disposable monopolar handhelds during our fieldwork. Reusable monopolar handhelds are available on the market, often with a disposable tip.…”

Introducing systems oriented design for complex societal contexts in design engineering education

“…This study builds on the work of Santos (2014), in which SOD was proposed as a means of addressing complex problems in challenging societal contexts, especially in the provision of healthcare services in humanitarian aid. The purpose of this study is to build an understanding of how SOD can support design engineering students in developing more sustainable product-service system (PSS) concepts for low-income markets and humanitarian aid.…”